


Welcome To The Toppats

by MintyFrosty



Category: Henry Stickmin Series (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Based on a Tumblr Post, Origin Story, headcanon fanfiction, toppat, toppat clan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26133451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintyFrosty/pseuds/MintyFrosty
Summary: With Reginald being apart of the Toppat family line of success and Right Hand Man being your average theft on the street, it was truly a wonder how the two met trying to steal the same thing at the same place. Now, months later, and never expecting to see each other once more, Right Hand Man finds himself either having to choose between being a Toppat or being thrown off the airship.
Relationships: Reginald Copperbottom/Right Hand Man
Comments: 6
Kudos: 105





	Welcome To The Toppats

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, all you beautiful people!  
> This is a fanfiction based on a headcanon I came up with on the origin story of RHM and Reg. If you want to have a read of it, the link is here https://mintyfrosty.tumblr.com/post/627309173522251776/rubs-hands-together-alright-lets-head-canon ^D^

Tension hung in the dry of the airship, the midnight breeze falling silent within its corridors. As if time itself had slowed to a grinding halt, the two figures in the Toppat vault remained noiseless, one of them a single trigger away from crumbling down the forbidden stairs of Hell to the afterlife. Never was their an attempt to move or say anything, paralysed with the confusion of the situation before them. Eventually, however, the Toppat member, known to the world as Reginald, released a sharky exhale from his lips; the gun in his right hand threatening the life of the red-haired thief. If the situation wasn't so difficultly confusing, then he might've been proud of himself for managing to take down such a strong opponent. If only.

It was simple on paper. A few months back, Reginald successfully carried out his first-ever mission solo; stealing the 6k dollar necklace from one of the most highly-secured stores in town (which he wore with pride). There was just one catch. A red-haired thief masked with a bandana had the same plan. Thus, the mission didn't exactly go as smoothly as the Toppat member had wished. It became a rivalry, in a way. The two on a side mission to argument and steal the prized jewel from one another only to be teaming up and saving each other from the government. Of course, the compass pointed to Reginald, the thief (he believed concerning pity) had allowed the Toppat leader to take the necklace for himself. And after leaving a small tip of gold to the thief as a thank you, the two parted ways and never expected to see each other once more.

But tonight changed that. Once more, the two were together, Reginald standing the thief tied by the ankles on the floor with a gun aiming at his head. The Toppat member, whilst being a night watch for the vault, had seen the thief come in and attempt to steal the goods inside only for him to gain the upper hand and disarm him. And after pulling off his eye mask, the time had stopped.  
"It's you. The thief from the jewellery shop..." Came Reginald's voice, a shaken feeling of dread settling behind his tone. Nothing in his mind doubted that this bandana-ed thief had the same intention as a couple of months ago; steal.  _ Oh, why did it have to be the Toppats of all things?  _ Even if the thief was at one point his enemy (and most likely still was), by giving him that necklace, it had saved Reginald his reputation and promotion. He couldn't just kill the man who had, quite literally, saved his life, could he? That would be dishonourable! No way could he ever commit such an act!

And yet, he had to make a choice. And God, that was one he did NOT want to make.

The thief, unknown to the Toppat member's distress, shifted uncomfortably on the floor, elbows propping up his back to stare at the individual with the weapon. Shit. He was at the mercy of the man who he thought he'd never see again. Who he  _ just so happen _ to know from a heist a couple of months ago. Great. Just fricking perfect. There was no doubting it was him, the jewelled dollar-necklace hanging wonderfully off his neck. A shaky exhale emitted from his mouth.

"And you're t'e Topp'at who's gonna shoot me. Go on, pull t'e trigger. Get it over wit' already."

That was probably the last statement the thief needed to say to get his head blown off. A heavy lump developed in Reginald's throat, the gun lowering ever-so-slightly which most certainly didn't go unnoticed to the thief. He shook his head.  
"Now, why would I go on doing that?"

"Ya kidding, right?" Commented the bandana-ed thief, an expression of exasperation mixed with dumbfoundedness on his face.  
"Ya know. T'ief. Caught in the act. At gunpoint. W'at do you mean 'w'y would I go on doing that?'" The Toppat member straightened himself up, trying (and failing) to hide the panicked confusion on his face. God, he had no idea what to  _ do. _ Shakily, he cleared his throat.

"T-That--" He shook his head, rapidly trying to come up with an excuse.  
That's because I wouldn't just kill a thief without good reason! You could have useful information on who you work for, or be useful as a bargaining chip! You think I'm dumb enough to just kill you right here?" Pathetic excuse, but it bought himself some time. Dammit. He needed to try and get this thief out of here; he could only imagine what would happen if the chief walked in and saw that there was a thief on the airship. He shuttered at the thought; a demotion was something he didn't need. Sceptical, the thief pushed himself fully upright, no longer leaning in his elbows for support.

"Okay. So lock me up t'en." If there was one thing the redhead could gather about the Toppat was that he was a  _ miserable  _ liar. He had seen worse but this was depressing.

"Well-- No! I wouldn't just--"

"T'en what will ya do, 'ey? You're gonna just let me go?"

"No-No! Would you just--"

"'eah, okay. Sure. You gonna say next I can 'ave everything in 'ere?"

A frustrated groan came out of Reginald's mouth, his freehand planting itself firmly on his face with an aggravated sigh. After giving himself a quick look to the left and right, Reginald stepped forward, grabbing the thief by his bandana and pointed the gun toward the floor.  
"Listen here, buddy. I'm trying to think of how to save your ass from being thrown off the airship. If anyone else other than me cornered you, you'd be the next big attraction at an execution ceremony and becoming an earth pancake! If the chief even sees you without a good explanation, you'll be getting that seat at death's door you keep asking for so please  _ SHUT UP!" _

"Reginald. What on earth is going on in here?"

Every moving part slowed to a grinding hold, Reginald's fingers turning numb as the grip on the theft's bandana became non-existent. Pure blooded fear pumped through every vein in his body, a horrid sense of dread displaying on his face. Oh shit. Oh shit. Oh shit. Jesus. He needed to think of something. Think fast. With astounding speed, Reginald quickly straightened himself upright, the theft falling back to the ground without Reginald holding him up. Sweat poured down the back of his face, his smile and posture trying to be as straight as possible to hide the fear driving his insides.  
"B-Boss!"

The expression Chief Terrence's face was anything but pleased, a puff of black smoke coming from his mouth from the cigar in his right hand. God, how much had he heard? Had he heard any? Anything at all? The dominant footsteps of the chief echoed through the halls, followed by Reginald's scrambling voice to come up with an excuse.  
"It-It's--uhm-- I-I can explain! I was just trying to--"

"Who in Toppat's name is that, Copperbottom?" Snarled the chief, pointing his cigar at the thief on the ground, who seemed just as frightened as Reginald on the inside. It was different from the  _ Toppat CHIEF  _ than just Reginald since he didn't seem intent on killing him. But this? This was living a nightmare. The toppat member quickly cleared his throat of any stuttering.

"He--uhm--" Clambered Reginald, quickly shooting a gaze in the theft's direction. Anxiety was practically bursting through his blood, every part of his strength trying his best to not break into a panic attack. Eyes shaking, his brain pushed its limits to come up with a response. Dammit. Dammit. Dammit. With a snap of his neck, Reginald's eyes met the chief's.  
"He...He's on the shift with me! Y-You, remember the other day when we invaded the prison? W-Well, I found this wonderful gentleman! He was quite the ally on the battlefield when escaping, and I though-t he'd be a valuable member to the team! So, I started showing him-him around the vault! I-I was going to te-ll you tomorrow about recruiting him! Believe me, I was!"

Humming with disbelief, the chief let out another puff of smoke from his cigar. Uninterested, he shot a glance over to the presumed ally of Reginald before snapping his eyes back to the Toppat.  
"Then, tell me, why is restrained to the ground?"

Shit. Reginald  _ knew _ it couldn't've gone that smoothly. A fresh wave of panic came over his systems, fear reflecting innocently in his pupils. Voice lost somewhere in his throat, the Toppat member struggled for an answer, only for him to be interrupted by the thief beside him.

"'hat was on me." Came the thief's voice, sitting upright and beginning to untie himself from the ankle results as the two Toppat's advanced their attention over to him. The bandanaed thief got himself to his feet, brushing off any dirt he had with him.  
"Er-, Reginald was showing me how to work it and got caug't up. I- uh- sorry."

Reginald didn't think he could ever express the amount of gratitude he had for the thief to say such a simple phrase. A smile peaked at the side of his lips, an unexplainable expression of appreciation in his eyes. However, as he expected, it was incredibly short-lived, the chief turning back to him with a vice.  
"Is that true?"

"Yes!" Responded the toppat member immediately, the panic taking over any positive emotion he felt prior. With a stern glare over to the red-haired theft, the chief grabbed Reginald by his truffled, nearly choking him with a threatening gleam in his eye. 

"Don't think this won't be accounted for, Copperbottom. You know the rules when it comes recruiting new members;  _ I know of it first _ . You're restricted from solo missions for the next month, and if I don't see an application form for this 'partner' of yours by tomorrow morning, then your parents are getting the same treatment, understand?" Without even giving Reginald the opportunity or chance to answer, the chief hastily blew a puff of smoke in his face before shoving him to the ground. Unable to react because of his extreme lack of physical strength, the Toppat member fell hard onto his back, letting out a sound of distress as his head collided with the floor. Satisfied, the chief turned 180 degrees and exited the vault. Well, it wasn't after one final comment.  
"You're a disgrace to your family line, Reginald."

The door slammed shut.

Miserable beyond words, the Toppat member pitifully gathered himself to his feet, straightening out his disturbing his ruffle and hat. God. What has he done? Eyes blinking the edge of tears, his gaze wandered poorly over to the thief, who looked just as confused as he was, just without the misery. He wondered whatever thoughts were going on underneath that expression. He could barely think himself, lost in the suffering of his stuttering mistakes. Frame shakily, Reginald gestured a hand to follow, not trying his voice to break into a panic attack, before walking to the exit of the vault, opposite the side the chief had come from. Figuring he didn't have much of a choice, the thief dutifully followed him, but not after pulling a middle finger in the direction of where the chief had walked. That guy seemed like such a fucking  _ prick _ .

After a small wander down the hall, Reginald pulled a key from his pocket, twisting in the lock of a door before entering his headquarters. The red-haired theft's jaw dropped at the sight of the room as the Toppat closed the door behind him. It looked like something ripped out of a palace room; carpets, painted portraits, gold-framed bed heads, a dozen or so pillows, a freaking couch on the side with a television screen and a personal ensuite. How luxury did these god-forsaken Toppats live? Just as he was about to comment on the looks of the place, he turned around to see Reginald with his head against the door, banging it gently over and over. A sigh left his lips, folding his arms.  
"W'y did ya do t'at?"

Unexpecting of the question, the Toppat member turned himself around, gaze trying to focus on the man before him.  
"W-What?"

"W'y did ya save my life t'ere? Ya were going on before 'ow if I was caught, you'd get demoted. And I t'ink t'at telling ya boss I'm a theft wouldn't've gotten ya the result ya did. So, w'y did you do t'at?" Restated the theft, tapping his right foot against the ground. The tone may have made it seem like he was ungrateful. Dear God, he was glad that wasn't falling to his death off an airship. It just- didn't make sense. To him at least. After a concentrated look at the floor, the Toppat chief straightened himself up.

"I couldn't." Was all that came out of his mouth.

"W'at do ya mea-"

" _I couldn't,_ alright?! _"_ Responded Reginald, suddenly finding his voice in the pit of despair that he found himself trapped in. The thief, not expecting to be yelled at, slid a foot back.  
"Look-- I don't know what came over me! You-You saved my life back at the jewellery store! My reputation! My family name! I couldn't just turn you in and dishonour you after everything you've done for me! I'd be a crumbling nobody without it!"

"But ya could've said ya were taking me to a cell or something. And then, like, lead me to an escape pod if you still wanted to--"

"I  _ panicked!  _ I-I wasn't thinking I-- look--" Reginald let out a frustrated sound of agony.  
"I  _ know _ what I  _ should've _ done-- I just-- I  _ couldn't!  _ I'm sorry, okay!?"

The distressed Toppat leader took a good 10 seconds to pant, hands and emotions shaking with unexplainable emotion. Utterly defeated, the Toppat member pushed passed the other man the room, planting himself on his bed with a dreadful sigh.   
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry you've got yourself stuck here now. I can-I can try and find a way to get you off as soon as I can. But-- It's just something that's happened and we've gotta deal with it."

The thief said nothing, not expecting the Toppat member to have such an uncertain answer to his question. What he did expect is a fully-fledged reason as to why he had saved his life by unintentionally enrolling himself. But this? Never did he imagine this. The main thing he got, however, was that it was because he was worried. This stranger, only meeting him through a heist, was worried if he was alive or not. Oddly, he felt touched; the company he worked was and his family were pretty distant on him. Dare he say he felt honoured about it. And so, with a retired sigh, the thief removed his bandana, moving to the couch in his room and making himself comfortable.  
"Guess we're even now, huh?"

Reginald looked up from his hands which his head planted in, giving the thief a teary-eyed look. The thief shrugged, facing the wall.

"I saved ya life and ya saved mine. Guess we're even now."


End file.
